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This book presents selected case studies from the Arab world on the universities responses to the pandemic. This book will look in detail at the priorities of the higher education sector in the post-COVID-19 era and the changes that must be adopted by universities and governments. These changes will allow the higher education sector to emerge from the crisis and build short- and long-term resilience. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has induced sudden changes worldwide by setting a global lockdown that has impacted all industries and sectors, affecting our daily lives and forcing us to adapt to a new normal. This book is the first major account of how the pandemic has shaken universities and higher education institutions in the Arab world today and tomorrow. Crucially, it examines the responses of universities to COVID-19, highlights their current position, and addresses the negative and positive outcomes. Has this crisis become an adversity or an opportunity for higher education institutions? What are the pillars that will ensure the success of the Arab higher education sector post COVID-19? © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022.
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Saudi Arabia, like other countries, has established several strategies and initiatives to support the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Saudi Arabia's 2030 Vision recognizes the technological dimension of the SDGs. Furthermore, higher education institutes are an essential component of Saudi Arabia's sustainable development goals, and the government is eager to adopt sustainability measures in universities in this regard. Saudi universities have implemented significant e-learning and digital transformation projects aimed at long-term development. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Saudi universities discontinued traditional face-to-face classes in favor of online learning. The rate of use of online education has been extraordinary and overwhelming. Given this background, this paper aims to study the impact of digital learning on sustainable development in the higher education institutions of Saudi Arabia post COVID-19 by highlighting the educational processes followed during the pandemic. In addition, we analyze the obstacles and values of digital learning in Saudi higher education institutes. We used the PRISMA statement 2020 for the inclusion and exclusion of the records and the VOS viewer software for the classification of literature. The results identified the three primary data streams, higher education, e-learning and digital transformation after the co-occurrences of critical terms and content analysis. Findings indicate the significant changes brought by the recent pandemic outbreak for the higher education institutes in Saudi Arabia. Results suggest that E-learning programmes have gained recognition as effective learning aids for higher education since conventional education (face-to-face) was abruptly forced to relocate online owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, findings demonstrate a substantial and positive relationship between digital transformation performance and Saudi Arabia's higher education institutions, as well as their potential for e-learning toward sustainable development, their capacity for improvisation, and their organizational readiness.
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Purpose>Measuring internal response of online learning is seen as fundamental to absorptive capacity which stimulates knowledge assimilation. However, the evaluation of practice and research of validated instruments that could effectively measure online learning response behavior is limited. Thus, in this study, a new instrument was designed based on literature to determine the structural variables that exist in the online learning response behavior.Design/methodology/approach>A structured survey was designed and distributed to 410 Malaysian students enrolled in higher-education institutions. The questionnaire has 38 items, all of which were scored using a seven-point likert scale. To begin with, exploratory factor analysis with three types of extraction methods (i.e. principal component, principal axis factoring and maximum likelihood) was used as the method for comparing the outcomes of each extraction method's grouping variables by constantly using a varimax rotation method. In the second phase, reliability analysis was performed to determine the reliability level of the grouping variables, and finally, correlation analysis was performed to determine the discriminant nomological validity of the grouping variables.Findings>The findings revealed that nine grouping variables were retrieved, with all items having a good value of factor loading and communalities, as well as an adequate degree of reliability. These extracted variables have good discriminant and nomological validity, as evidenced by correlation analysis, which confirmed that the directions of relationships among the extracted dimensions follow the expected theory (i.e. positive direction) and the correlation coefficient is less than 0.70.Research limitations/implications>This study proposes a comprehensive set of questionnaires that measure the student's online learning response behavior. These questionnaires have been developed on the basis of an extensive literature review and have undergone a rigorous process of validity and reliability for the purpose of enhancing students' online learning response behavior.Originality/value>This study's findings will aid academic practitioners in assessing the online learning response behavior of students, as well as enhancing the questionnaire's boost factor when administered in an online learning environment.
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BACKGROUND: Dilution ventilation by enhancing fresh air intake has been prescribed to reduce airborne infection spread during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is all the more important in assembly spaces like auditoriums. Premier technology institutes have large campuses with large auditoriums for academic and cultural events in India. These institutes serve as role models for society, where gatherings are essential, but there is also the possibility of transmission of all airborne respiratory infections, including tuberculosis, into the community. The fresh air taken in should also be filtered for pollution to prevent other lung issues. AIMS: Fresh air intake and filtration have been studied in order to understand whether the outside air supplied indoors is filtered for PM2.5, which is a major ambient polluter in India. Settings and design/methods: In this study, the Right to Information Act of 2005 has been used to obtain first-hand information from the institutes with respect to the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems in their auditoriums. Twelve of the 19 institutes fall in cities with non-attainment of ambient air quality standards. RESULTS: Eleven out of all those had recently integrated fresh air supply, and six replied in the negative. Only one out of all of them had appropriate filters. CONCLUSION: This study highlights the need for a possible trade-off between the use of air conditioners for thermal comfort + assumed protection against PM2.5, which is the switching off of air conditioners and manually opening up windows and using fans for ventilation. Indian HVAC design for gathering spaces, especially educational institutes, needs to factor in fresh air for dilution ventilation as well as PM2.5 filtration.
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Cities with integrated university campuses can become dependent on their student population to function properly. Restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic put a temporary halt to the presence of the student population in some cities. The current study explores this short-term paradigm shift on the relationship between three higher education institutes and their host cities in the northern part of Cyprus. The analysis uses the spatial distribution of Twitter feeds in the academic semester before the pandemic as the baseline and makes a comparison with the following semesters when the education was mostly done via online remote platforms. The findings indicate a rapid decline in diversity and granulation of urban activities among students during the pandemic. This, in turn, is shown to impact the commercial zones of the host cities, shifting many leisure activities farther from the city. Furthermore, the degree of spatial integration between the urban fabrics and the campuses is shown to be influential in rendering emerging equilibrium when facing a crisis that restricts mobility.
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Purpose: In today’s dynamic situation, innumerable challenges are posited in the education sector because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Higher educational institutes (HEIs) are compelled to adopt digital technologies and technology-mediated learning in the teaching-learning processes. The purpose of this paper is to understand the factors affecting learning effectiveness, learning satisfaction and the mediating role of prerecorded videos from the learners’ perspective. Design/methodology/approach: A self-designed structured questionnaire based on previous similar studies is adopted as a survey instrument. It consists of 22 questions to address the five constructs of the proposed hypothesized conceptual model, developed for the study. Data of 311 students from HEIs of Maharashtra state in India were collected. Confirmatory factor analysis is carried out to test the model fitness, reliability and validity, and structural equation modeling is applied to conduct path analysis and hypotheses testing of the model. Findings: Hypotheses testing reveals that perceived usefulness (PU) significantly affects the perceived learning effectiveness, which again affects the learning satisfaction of the students. In addition, perceived ease of use affects the PU as suggested in the technology acceptance model. The prerecorded videos have a moderating role to play in the computer self-efficacy and the perceived learning effectiveness of the students. This research will provide meaningful acumen to enhance the overall learning process among students in urban as well as rural India. Originality/value: This study explores the technology-mediated learning during the unexpected and dynamic situations of the COVID-19 pandemic in the context of higher education in India. For sustainable use of technology-assisted learning, educators must understand the key factors that influence students’ learning effectiveness and satisfaction. The research outcomes will lead toward developing the human capacities, as the prerecorded videos at the HEIs of India will provide new approaches for effectively adopting digital technologies and technology-mediated learning. © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited.
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The quick adoption of digital platforms in the education sector will always give credit to covid-19. The imposition of lock downs and closure of border as remedial measures forced educational institutes to shift to online platforms for their routine teaching and learning activities. The higher education institutes (HEIs) were found to be more dynamic, as they utilised their online presence in interacting with external members by way of other online activities predominantly webinars. The researchers suggest that online learning will remain to be a vital part of higher education and is going to stay along with other online activities like webinar as it is flexible, accessible, and convenient for the larger section of the students. This study examines the MS team's platform from the learner's perspective through technology acceptance model. The 320 responses were gathered from the participants of 22 countries who participated in one-week international webinar organised by two leading HEIs in Oman an online feedback form was analysed through PLS-SEM in SmartPLS 3.3.3. The study aimed to test the degree to which the participants were able to accept MS teams, a popular online learning platform in Oman, as a suitable webinar platform. The results indicate that MS teams is found to be a sufficiently good platform to conduct webinars however, it lags in terms of ease of use or user-friendliness. The study also confirms that attitude towards e-learning influences behavioural intention that subsequently influences the actual use of the platform. © 2021. All Rights Reserved.
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In the emergence of pandemic Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19), the delivery of education service becomes a global issue, and many traditional higher education institutes are shifting toward digital alternatives methods. E-learning is considered the most appropriate effective method of knowledge delivery to meet the current academic requirements. This study investigates the key determinants which influence the Intentions to use e-learning among students in higher education institutes in Malaysia due to the outbreak of the novel Covid-19 pandemic. The data were collected through structured questionnaires from students. The data were analyzed using the structural equation modeling using partial least squares (SEMPLS). The research findings revealed that Attitude, Subjective Norm, Perceived usefulness, and Perceived behavioral becomes a positive predictor of Intention to use e-learning. However, Subjective norms found no significant effect on Intention to use e-learning in the Malaysian context. It is due to the COVID-19 emergency that an individual must choose for the e-learning method disregarding their perceptions. Perceived ease of use and Perceived usefulness has a significant positive effect on attitude. These findings offer guidelines to educational institutes for the implementation of the e-learning system during unavoidable circumstances for the sustainable education system.